School Wellness Policies

Smith, Erin M.; Capogrossi, Kristen; Estabrooks, Paul A.

doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2012.05.009

Cited by 22 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Some schools may encounter challenges to the implementation of district policy language not tailored to the unique local environment while others with more resources in place may go beyond the requirements of the policy to provide an environment supportive of healthy behaviors. The overall weak language found in the MSBA/MASA template policy for the 10 policy items examined here is in line with prior research that has found locally-developed policies are in general stronger than template-based policies (33) . The current study built on this previous work in determining the number of changes districts made to the template policy in adopting the language for their own local wellness policy.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Further, prior research has shown differences in the strength of language included in template-based versus locally developed policies (33) . To be categorized as a template policy, a district wellness policy had to meet the conditions of including the same introductory language to the policy and following the same general format and organization as the MSBA/MASA template.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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District wellness policies and school-level practices in Minnesota, USA

Larson

Davey

Hoffman

et al. 2015

Public Health Nutr.

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Objective To compare the strength of district wellness policies with corresponding school-level practices reported by principals and teachers. Design District-level wellness policy data was collected from school district websites and, if not available online, by requests made to district administrators in the fall of 2013. The strength of district policies was scored using the Wellness School Assessment Tool. School-level data were drawn from the 2012 Minnesota School Health Profiles principal and teacher surveys and National Center for Education Statistics Common Core Data. Generalized estimating equations which accounted for school-level demographics and the nesting of up to two schools within some districts were used to examine 10 district policy items and 14 school-level practices of relevance to nutrition standards, nutrition education and wellness promotion, and physical activity promotion. Setting/Subjects Statewide sample of 180 districts and 212 public schools in Minnesota. Results The mean number of energy-dense, nutrient-poor snack foods and beverages available for students to purchase at school was inversely related to the strength of district wellness policies regulating vending machines and school stores (p=0.01). The proportion of schools having a joint use agreement for shared use of physical activity facilities was inversely related to the strength of district policies addressing community use of school facilities (p=0.03). No associations were found between the strength of other district policies and school-level practices. Conclusions Nutrition educators and other health professionals should assist schools in periodically assessing their wellness practices to ensure compliance with district wellness policies and environments supportive of healthy behaviors.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

District wellness policies and school-level practices in Minnesota, USA

Larson

Davey

Hoffman

et al. 2015

Public Health Nutr.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…It is well documented that schools have difficulty facilitating change in health practices despite federal mandates (Francis et al, 2017, Schuler et al, 2018, Smith et al, 2012, Probart et al, 2010). Although schools participating in the National School Lunch Program are required to have an established wellness policy and active wellness council, a study of PA school districts (Totura et al, 2015) revealed that only 28% identified a wellness coordinator to oversee wellness efforts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Healthy Champions program in Pennsylvania schools: Assessment, awareness, and improvement of school wellness

Francis

Hogentogler

Hoke

et al. 2019

Preventive Medicine Reports

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Schools are important environments for promotion of healthy behaviors to reduce childhood obesity; however, many barriers prevent schools from sustaining wellness programs. The goal of the Healthy Champions program was to assist schools with identifying areas for improvement through a nutrition and activity-focused assessment, and delivery of a customized score report and welcome kit with materials to promote healthful behavior change. In this study, we aimed to describe participation and assessment results for this program across a five-year period. Enrollment in the Healthy Champions program was open to private and public K-12 schools across Pennsylvania beginning in 2013. School staff completed an assessment that scored aspects of the wellness environment and was used to enroll schools in the program. Schools were awarded star status (0–5) based upon responses and provided a tailored response to improve ratings, and with re-enrollment, became a simple way for schools to track progress. From 2013 to 2018, 592 schools enrolled for at least one year, representing 58 out of 67 counties (87%) in Pennsylvania. Mean star status at baseline was 2.89 out of 5; however, schools enrolled for multiple years (51%) saw significant improvement in star status, independent of school size and rural/urban status.

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“…Research documenting the impact of wellness policies is mixed, 60 as a majority contain weak and vague language. [57][58][59][60] Policies written with strong and clear language are more likely to be fully implemented than if they are written with weak and vague language. 61 Previous research demonstrates legislative mandates, such as the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, led to more comprehensive school health policies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coordinated Approach: Comprehensive Policy and Action Planning

Chung,

Sliwa,

Merlo

et al. 2023

Journal of School Health

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BackgroundSchools play a vital role in student health, and a collaborative approach may affect health factors such as physical activity (PA) and nutrition. There is a lack of recent literature synthesizing collaborative approaches in K‐12 settings. We present updated evidence about interventions that used a coordinated school health approach to support K‐12 student PA and nutrition in the United States.MethodsA 2‐phase literature review search included a search of systematic reviews for individual qualifying studies (2010‐2018), followed by a search for individual articles (2010‐2020) that evaluated a coordinated approach or use of school wellness councils, committees, or teams to address PA and/or nutrition.ResultsWe identified 35 articles describing 30 studies and grouped them by intervention type. Interventions demonstrated promising findings for environmental changes and student dietary and PA behaviors.ImplicationsCoordinated and multicomponent interventions demonstrated significant improvements or null results, indicating that implementation of programs and/or policies to promote healthier eating and PA practices may support and do not appear to hinder environmental or behavioral outcomes.ConclusionsSchools can use a coordinated approach to implement opportunities for PA and nutrition; this may influence students' PA and dietary behaviors.

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School Wellness Policies

Cited by 22 publications

References 21 publications

District wellness policies and school-level practices in Minnesota, USA

District wellness policies and school-level practices in Minnesota, USA

The Healthy Champions program in Pennsylvania schools: Assessment, awareness, and improvement of school wellness

Coordinated Approach: Comprehensive Policy and Action Planning

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